Ganit Goldstein designs a 3D printed shoe with the help of Stratasys

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Ganit Goldstein, an Israeli fashion designer, has combined 3D printing and the ancient art of weaving to make a shoe using a Stratasys 3D printer.

Goldstein said, “Stratasys’ advanced 3D printing technology has opened up endless possibilities for my designs, enabling me to print any design at the voxel level in vibrant colors and a range of materials – all in a single print.”

A 3D printed woven shoe by Ganit Goldstein. Image via Ganit Goldstein

3D printing fashion

For artists and designers, 3D printing has opened a new world of possibilities. From 3D printing watches to glasses, designers have made positive use of the technology. As Goldstein explained, “With the knowledge, I’ve gained while working with Stratasys, I’ve come to realize that 3D printing is increasingly becoming an integral part of design thanks to the unique design freedom achievable.”

The 3D printed woven shoe is part of Goldstein’s project ‘Between the Layers’, which also includes seven clothing items and six shoes, all 3D printed. For the Stratasys project, Goldstein used 3D printing and the ‘ikat’ weaving technique, which she learned at the Tokyo University of the Arts.

Examples of ikati weaving. Image via Wikimedia

Bringing ancient and modern together

Ikat is a weaving technique in which fibers are dyed, before the weaving process, especially for the purpose of creating colored patterns on the fabric. Ikat patterns have a distinctive blurry and edge-like quality to them. In Japan, a fabric woven using the ikat technique is called ‘Kasuri’. Goldstein combined this ancient technique with a Stratasys Connex3 multi-material 3D printer and GrabCAD software.

Goldstein commented, “This capability to control any voxel for any pattern has enabled me to design without boundaries and to combine 3D printing with traditional weaving techniques to create ultra-realistic shoes.”

Commenting on what 3D printing brings to design, Naomi Kaempfer, Stratasys’ Creative Director of Art, Design and Fashion, said, “We’re seeing a great deal of interest from the fashion industry regarding the immense opportunities for customization that 3D printing is offering up. We urge designers to enjoy and take advantage of the possibilities afforded by the technology to create avant-garde, personalized designs quickly, cost-effectively and without traditional design boundaries.”

“As this is still a relatively new domain, we need to really challenge ourselves to envision the next steps and to embrace this new design freedom in order to open up its true frontiers.”

Details of the shoe made by combining 3D printing and ikat weaving. Image via Ganit Goldstein.